The ''English Churchman'' was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

family

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

published in England with a global readership. The newspaper was not an official organ of the Church of England, but was one of only three officially recognised church papers, alongside the

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

and the

Church of England Newspaper The ''Church of England Newspaper'' is an independent Anglican fortnightly newspaper. Based in London, it is published on Fridays. The ''Church of England Newspaper'' is notable as the earliest church paper, and one of the oldest newspapers sti ...

. The formal title of the newspaper is ''English Churchman and St James's Chronicle''. The ''St James's Chronicle'' dates from 1761. The first edition of a newspaper under the name ''English Churchman'' was published on 5 January 1843. Contrary to general ecclesiastical trends, the ''English Churchman'' began life as an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

newspaper. It was 'set up for the express purpose of advocating

Tractarian The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Uni ...

views' and ranked alongside the ''British Critic'' as one of the 'two great Tractarian organs'. In 1884, the paper was acquired by those in sympathy with the Church Association, thus coming into evangelical hands, where it has remained ever since. It has gained a reputation for being 'robustly Reformed and Protestant,

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

, as the Formularies of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

teach' (i.e. the Thirty-Nine Articles, the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...

, and the ordinal). Rev. Harold Gordon Haynes Hill (1970 to 1995) – obituary in EC. Rev. Harold Gordon Haynes Hill (1970 to 1995) – obituary in EC. Dr Napier Malcolm (Some years until August 2002) In August 2002 the Editor, Dr Napier Malcolm, resigned and started The British Church Newspaper with the help of his existing team of helpers. The English Churchman was then virtually restarted from scratch under the editorship of Andrew Price. From 2005 until January 2021, Rev Peter Ratcliff of the Church of England Continuing was editor. The newspaper continued along the lines of Dr Malcolm during this period, distinctly opposed to remaining in the Anglican Communion. The newspaper took a clear Reformed line and ceased advocating Christian Zionism. As of 1 February 2021, the editor was Rev Christopher Pierce, a clergyman of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

. The cover cost of English Churchman rose from one penny per copy in the late nineteenth century to one pound at closure. The newspaper was originally weekly, but since the 1970s began publishing fortnightly. Most readers were subscribers who receive the newspaper by post, although the paper was historically available through newsagents. After 262 years the newspaper ceased publication and closed on the 27th of June 2023.

References

External links

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John Wilkes & The St James Chronicle - UK Parliament Living Heritage
Defunct Christian newspapers Newspapers established in 1843 1843 establishments in England Religious newspapers published in the United Kingdom Anglican newspapers and magazines Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom {{UK-newspaper-stub